


your lips, my lips, apocalypse

by paradise (technicolours)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Exes, Falling in Love at the End of the World, Getting Back Together, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Pre-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28888500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/technicolours/pseuds/paradise
Summary: yangyang finds comfort at the end of the world in the form of donghyuck, and he falls in love all over again.(or maybe he never stopped.)
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Liu Yang Yang
Comments: 17
Kudos: 62
Collections: Challenge #4 — Awaken The World





	your lips, my lips, apocalypse

**Author's Note:**

> for a little wonder's "awaken the world" sci-fi challenge (with minimal sci-fi)
> 
> title from [apocalypse](https://open.spotify.com/track/3AVrVz5rK8Hrqo9YGiVGN5?si=e-dK9VAAQuKCBAVFAXekBA) by cigarettes after sex

Yangyang's life gets flipped upside down on a Tuesday afternoon, mainly because of two things: one, the world's apparently about to go down in flames. And two, Lee Donghyuck, better known as Haechan, is standing in front of him in the echoing hallways of the studio building, staring back at him with an equally shocked expression - though if it's due to the news of the apocalypse or if it's because Yangyang's here, he's not a hundred percent sure.

He opens his mouth and promptly closes it. Donghyuck blinks at him, and then he says, "so. The world's ending."

And Yangyang cracks a smile, because of the absurdity of it all. They're both halfway across the world from the place they call (or in Yangyang's case, used to call) home, though for Donghyuck it's entirely by choice, whereas Yangyang's in his self-imposed exile from Seoul, having vowed to not come back until he can prove to himself... what, exactly? That he's worthy enough to go back?

"I haven't heard from you in a while," Donghyuck continues quietly. Yangyang takes a moment to really take in the person in front of him - they're twenty-four now, not quite the twenty year olds they were when they first felt that undeniable spark between them. And yet Donghyuck still looks devastatingly handsome, having grown and matured into his features well.

Yangyang shrugs. "Sorry. I haven't really kept in touch with anyone, aside from my... former members." He falters slightly at that last word, because it's in the moments like these where he misses his bandmates the most. He's learned a lot in Los Angeles, but mostly he's learned how lonely it is to be surrounded by beautiful faces that are fleeting in the night, how this city only cares about the next big thing and leaves last year's models in the dust.

Donghyuck nods slowly. "I never got a chance to say sorry," he says. "For what happened to you."

"It's all good," Yangyang waves a hand dismissively, though those memories always leave a bitter taste in his mouth. "The past is in the past." He tilts his head, forcing a smile. "And besides, the world's gonna end in a matter of hours, so there's no point in thinking of that now."

"Yeah," Donghyuck murmurs. He casts Yangyang a sidelong glance. "Well, now that the world's ending, I guess I can be honest, right? Nothing left to lose?"

Yangyang raises his eyebrows. "Go for it."

"I miss you," Donghyuck admits. "A lot. And I know you just said not to dwell on the past, but I wish you would have told me what was going on. I would have been there for you, you know."

"I know," Yangyang says quietly. "I just didn't want to put that extra burden on you. You had your own life and career to deal with, I didn't want to add my troubles on top of all that. It wasn't fair to you."

"No, you know what wasn't fair to me? You deciding that I should put my career over my feelings, and making that choice for me." Donghyuck's voice is soft, but there's a quiet intensity about his demeanor as he crosses his arms and looks into Yangyang's eyes. "I loved you, Yangyang."

"Don't," Yangyang whispers. There's a stabbing pain in his chest when he thinks about their shared history, stolen moments whenever they were off camera, sneaking into each other's dormitories and kissing, touching, lost in each other and their own little world where they could act as if they would be able to last.

"You left so suddenly," Donghyuck continues. He looks like he's starting to get slightly choked up when he says, "I believed you. We all did. So why didn't you fight back?"

"How could I?" Yangyang barks out a sarcastic laugh. "The company needed  _ someone  _ to blame. I was collateral." He shakes his head. "Staying would have hurt the group, and then it would circle around and bring negative attention to you, too. I couldn't do that."

"But now?" Donghyuck challenges. "Are you happy here?"

Yangyang reels back at the question. Donghyuck's eyes widen when he realizes he might have gone a little too far, and he backtracks, but Yangyang shakes his head.  _ Fuck it,  _ he thinks,  _ world's ending.  _ "No."

"Why didn't you ever come home, then, after your name got cleared?" Donghyuck asks. He seems like he's fighting back tears, and his voice sounds hoarse when he speaks, stepping closer.

Yangyang doesn't know how to respond. "I don't know," he murmurs truthfully. And then he smiles, slightly forlorn. "But it feels better now that you're here."

When he shifts his gaze back to Donghyuck, he can't glean the meaning of his facial expression. He reaches out a hand hesitantly, and for a moment, Yangyang thinks he might punch him for all the trouble he's put him through over the years. Much to his surprise, Donghyuck grabs him by the bicep and pulls him in, burying his face into his shoulder. He can feel warm tears against the cotton fabric of his shirt, and he wraps his arms around Donghyuck's small frame, closing his eyes and breathing him in.

"I can't believe it took the world ending for you to talk to me again," Donghyuck mumbles, voice muffled by Yangyang's shoulder.

Yangyang laughs, tightening his grasp on Donghyuck. "I missed you," he admits. "So fucking much."

"I missed you too," Donghyuck sniffles. He pulls back, giving him a playful shove and a smile. "Asshole." They could never be mad at each other for long, even when they were promoting together and got on each other's nerves from time to time as a result of being forced to spend every waking hour together. 

"So now what?" Yangyang asks. "I'm guessing we're locked down in this building because of you, huh?" He nudges Donghyuck with his shoulder playfully. "Price of being famous."

"You were famous too," Donghyuck points out. He shoots Yangyang a sideways glance. "Don't you miss it?"

"A little bit," Yangyang admits. Fame's a double-edged sword; he misses the rush of being onstage, performing his heart out and the indescribable pride that comes with having thousands of people sing along to lyrics he’d poured his heart and soul into. But he doesn't miss all the nights he'd tossed and turned in his bed, thinking of his name in the headlines and the outpouring of comments underneath, criticizing his character and his looks, picking him apart until the name "Liu Yangyang" didn't feel like it referred to a real, living, breathing human being anymore.

"It just sucks," he says, sucking in a sharp breath. "I thought I had more time, you know? I mean, my name's been cleared, but I didn't want to go crawling back to an industry that never respected me in the first place. I wanted to make a name for myself first, prove that I'm still capable of... something." He glances over at Donghyuck, finding that he has his full attention. "And now the world's ending in sixteen hours or so and I'm stuck in this city that I hate."

Donghyuck smiles ruefully. He reaches out and interlocks their fingers, giving Yangyang's hand a squeeze. "Well, at least we're in the same boat on the whole being stuck here thing."

"Have you tried calling?" Yangyang had called his parents earlier, reassuring them that he was fine and that he loved them, and then to his former groupmates. Saying goodbye, especially over the phone from thousands of miles away, was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do.

"Yeah, I called my parents, and I got to talk to some of my group members _ , _ " Donghyuck nods. "If I'm being honest, I was terrified, because of course we get an asteroid strike when I'm  _ alone  _ in a foreign country, but then I ran into you and, well." He glances down, taking in their intertwined hands, and he smiles. "I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad you're here too," Yangyang says quietly. He shakes his head. "I miss Seoul. I miss everyone, and LA's never felt like home, cause people here are so fake and awful and I'm starting to forget what it's like to have real friends."

Donghyuck squeezes his hand. "On the off chance that the world doesn't end tonight, you should come home."

Yangyang lets out a soft laugh. He knows there’s only a slim-to-none chance that they don’t die tonight, but it’s nice to imagine. "Maybe I will."

He belatedly realizes they're standing in the middle of a hallway, holding hands and having a heart-to-heart. "So now what?" He asks. "Anything you want to do for the end of the world?"

"Well, if we're locked in this building, there is  _ something  _ I wanna do," Donghyuck grins. He turns, giving Yangyang's hand a tug. "Come on!" He says over his shoulder.

And Yangyang follows, because it seems as if he'd follow Donghyuck to the ends of the earth. Or, in this case, a recording studio at the end of the hall - it's empty, and Donghyuck lets go of Yangyang's hand to flick the lights on.

"What's this?" Yangyang asks, and immediately regrets his choice of wording, because, "It's a studio, duh," Donghyuck simpers.

Yangyang laughs and rolls his eyes. "I mean, what are we doing here?"

Donghyuck switches on the machines, turning to Yangyang. "I have a solo EP in the works. I came to LA while my groups were on a short break so I could figure out my own sound and all, since I wanted to make my debut a little more personal. I haven't finished recording this song, since there's a rap part, and I was originally going to ask Mark  _ hyung,  _ but since you know how to rap..."

Yangyang blinks - he's touched, seriously. "You want me to be on your song?"

"Yeah," Donghyuck nods. "I think I'm going to release this one as one last thank you to the fans, but I just needed the rap part to finish it off. Can you do it?"

"I... yeah," Yangyang says. Slowly, he feels a grin make its way across his lips. When he meets Donghyuck's pleading eyes, he's smiling at him too.

"Okay, cool. So I'll just play it for you, and I can help you on the lyrics, if you want me to? Though I think you'll be okay, since you're pretty good at it already."

Yangyang nods. Donghyuck plays the song - it's mellow and rife with R&B influences, and Donghyuck's melodic voice spills like honey over the chill beat. His vocals fade out for a few moments of instrumental where the rap should be, before resuming, culminating in a lovely bridge that showcases Donghyuck's incredible range and then winding down. It's beautiful, and it's entirely  _ Haechan _ .

"Woah," Yangyang breathes out when it's over. Donghyuck looks a mixture of proud and wistful when he meets Yangyang's eyes. "What's it about?" His Korean’s rusty, but he could glean a couple words here and there to understand the point of the lyrics: of course, it's a love song, but something tells him that it's deeper than that.

Donghyuck looks slightly bashful. "I wrote about finding home in someone else." He shakes his head, "but you can write your part about anything you want."

"My return to the music scene," Yangyang says. "Just for one day only. Before we all die."

"Morbid," Donghyuck retorts. "Maybe you can use that, but, like, in a romantic way."

"Hmm. What about finding that person at an unexpected place, like at the end of the world?" Yangyang inquires.

There's a fond look upon Donghyuck's face when he grins at Yangyang. "Something like that."

Yangyang checks the time on his phone, swiping away the news notifications that all tell him the same thing: in less than 16 hours now, an asteroid will strike the Earth and destroy everything in its path. It’s bleak, talking on and on about all the havoc that's currently being wreaked in cities across the globe as people take advantage of the chaos and selfishly try to fulfill their worldly desires before time runs out.

But for now, the only thing that matters is him, Donghyuck, and this song, apocalypse be damned. He sits down on one of the chairs, swinging his feet up onto the table and refusing to budge when Donghyuck shoves at his legs with a giggle. And he writes - pours out his heart and soul into these lyrics; somewhere along the way, his words begin to turn into metaphors that take shape and turn into the person playing around with the controls.

Their eyes meet, and they trade smiles. Yangyang glances at the lyrics he's written on his phone, and then back up to Donghyuck - his piece of home at the end of the world.

* * *

Donghyuck gingerly glances around Yangyang's apartment. It's not much - who knew LA rent was so  _ expensive?  _ But somehow he fits in here perfectly too, just like how easily he fits into every part of Yangyang's life.

They'd finished the song in a matter of hours, before they'd been given the all-clear to leave the studio. Donghyuck's hotel, however, had been looted, so Yangyang had suggested coming home with him. It wasn’t that he had any ulterior motives or expectations, but he just didn't want to be alone in his last hours, and he supposed Donghyuck didn't either.

The phone lines are completely jammed now, and there's only a dim light in the apartment that seeps in from the windows as a result of widespread power outages across the city. It's quiet, but in a peaceful sort of way; for once, there's no horns honking and traffic thrumming, as the streets became too congested to drive and everyone had abandoned their cars. 

Yangyang opens the curtains. Golden light filters inside, casting a warm glow upon both of them. He looks at Donghyuck, and  _ oh.  _ He's still breathtaking, even after all these years.

"So I did my end of the world bucket list thing," Donghyuck grins. They'd posted the song before the Internet went down, and it brings them both a semblance of comfort in knowing that they'd reached a significant amount of people with their swan song. He tilts his head. "What's yours?"

And Yangyang doesn't have to think twice, because he knows what he's wanted to do since he first laid eyes upon Donghyuck in the hallway. He steps closer, taking in the way Donghyuck's lips curl into a smile, and he brings his hands up to cup his face. "This," he murmurs. He leans in, closing the distance; Donghyuck relaxes under his touch, and then he's kissing him back, arms curling around his neck and pulling him in closer. They kiss like the world's ending - because it is - but he pays it no mind, because all he can think about in this moment is Donghyuck, who's  _ here,  _ against all odds, in this city so far away from home.

"That was so cliche," Donghyuck whispers when they break apart for air.

Yangyang opens his mouth to argue, but Donghyuck promptly shuts him up with another kiss, smiling against his lips. They fall into bed, losing their layers as they lose track of time. It could be minutes or hours later when they resurface, tangled in the ruined sheets, when Yangyang remembers that the world's ending in a matter of hours.

The sheets rustle beside him, and he lifts his head up to see Donghyuck, cleaning himself off before he slides off the bed. He pads over to the balcony doors, opening them and stepping outside wordlessly. The dying light spills onto his golden skin, illuminating the marks that Yangyang left on his body, and he admires in the view for a few moments before he reaches for the blanket and follows.

He scoops the blanket over them, wrapping his arms around Donghyuck's waist and resting his chin atop his shoulder. The sky's beginning to darken above them, and though they're too high up to see the rest of the city below, he wonders how many people are looking up at the heavens like they are.

"I still think it's funny that you have a song called 'Asteroid' and here we are, about to get obliterated out of existence by one," Donghyuck muses.

Yangyang laughs softly, pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw. "Hey. I'm glad that I got to spend my last day on Earth with you."

"Cheesy." Donghyuck mumbles, but he's smiling nonetheless. "My home away from home."

"Now look who's being cheesy," Yangyang grins. He sighs, staring into the endless stretch of sky. "You said you loved me."

"I still do," Donghyuck murmurs. "All those fucking songs were about you, you know."

"That's funny, because everything I wrote was about you, too." Yangyang says softly. "I'm sorry, by the way, for everything in the past."

He can feel Donghyuck’s head shake, soft hair brushing against his bare skin. "No, no more talking about the past. We're here and we're not dead yet, and you still haven't said anything about me saying I still love you."

"I love you too," Yangyang says. "I love you. I don't think I ever stopped."

"Cheesy." Donghyuck repeats, but he turns around and kisses Yangyang again. This time, their lips move languidly, as if they have all the time in the world. 

They turn back to the sky, falling into a content silence once more. The world's ending, but strangely enough, Yangyang's never felt more at ease, with someone he loves in his arms and euphoria blooming in his chest at the thought that Donghyuck loves him too.

He’s made his peace. He closes his eyes, settling into Donghyuck’s warmth, and together, they wait.

**Author's Note:**

> does the world really end? i guess we'll never know


End file.
